If you watched the State of the Union address on Jan. 25, perhaps you sensed something different. This wasn’t like any State of the Union speeches of recent years. The difference went well beyond the seating chart that put Democrats and Republicans side-by-side. It went beyond the empty chair for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. There was something in the tone, something in the atmosphere of the evening, which struck me as hopeful.

It’s naive, of course, to think that we have entered a post-partisan era. Political philosophy is deeply rooted in our parties and there will always be spirited debate around political philosophy. But listen to President Obama’s words:

“At stake right now is not who wins the next election ... At stake is whether new jobs and industries take root in this country, or somewhere else. It’s whether the hard work and industry of our people is rewarded. It’s whether we sustain the leadership that has made America not just a place on a map, but a light to the world.”

Remember how the Congress rose to its feet — as a body, irrespective of party — to cheer the president’s words.

“Reinventing Michigan demands that we break bad habits of the past and embrace opportunities for our future,” said the governor. “It also requires the resolve of leaders in Lansing and of every Michigan resident … working together we will chart a new course and measure our progress.”

President Obama urged us on with the phrase “winning the future”; Gov. Snyder’s rallying cry was “relentless positive action.”

I hear it everywhere I go: people are fed up with partisan bickering, stalemate for no reason other than party gain, last-minute budget deals and dark-of-the-night passage of bills no one understands. The people of Michigan — the people of America, for that matter — long for a new day in politics, a day when government is transparent, when the political parties seek common good and not self-interest, when compromise is valued for the sake of unity, and unity is the order of the day.

President Obama said, “We measure progress by the success of our people. By the jobs they can find and the quality of life those jobs offer. By the prospects of a small business owner who dreams of turning a good idea into a thriving enterprise. By the opportunities for a better life that we pass on to our children.” This isn’t a Democratic goal. This is an American goal.

New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia once said, “There is no Democratic or Republican way of cleaning the streets.” To which I would add: creating jobs, rebuilding our economy, repositioning our nation and restoring our global leadership. Forget about party. There is only an American way.

In Grand Rapids, our municipal elected offices are non-partisan. No political party pulls the chain of the mayor, city commissioners or the city comptroller. We are elected based on the personal trust we have established with the voters. Broken trust results in defeat in the polls. It’s that simple. There’s no party mantra to chant. No party whip to answer to. Nobody to stand between you and your elected municipal officers.

Can we move in that direction in Washington and Lansing? I’m not saying that political party goes away … but that party becomes subordinate to the will of the people expressed directly to their elected officials. Can you imagine a world in which those officials cast votes based on what is best for the people they represent and not what the party bosses demand?

If our Democratic president and our Republican governor are both calling us to move beyond partisanship, to work together irrespective of labels, then isn’t it time we said to our legislators — in Washington and Lansing — “Work together to solve our monumental problems, or get out of the way and let somebody else do it.”